Sociable weaver birds often have large nests around campsites, and are friendly little birds, a bit like our sparrows. They turned out to be good friends as well as good photo subjects! We'd been camping in the same spot for a couple of days and the birds often came to clear up our crumbs, but one day they started to mass beside a log and make a terrible racket. Looking more closely we saw there was a horned viper very well camouflaged under it. We'd collected kindling from that area so we were glad our little friends had given us the warning. The snake soon got fed up with the noise and moved on, and we were a little more careful picking up wood from then on.

Here are links to some of my favourite places and some organisations I support.

Click on the photo to link to their website

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Born from one family’s passion for Kenya and its wilderness, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is today the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa

We usually do self-drive camping holidays but we found this more difficult to organise in Kenya.

We found that Porini camps in Kenya offered a low-key, simple safari experience in ethically managed wildlife conservancies. Highly recommended.

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"The Porini Camps are situated within exclusive wildlife conservancies in Selenkay, Laikipia and the Mara. Each Porini Camp offers an intimate safari experience away from the crowds of tourists in minibuses. 'The ideal safari for the true wildlife enthusiast who wishes to get close to nature to enjoy an undisturbed personal adventure with a knowledgeable and qualified safari guide using customised open-sided 4×4 safari vehicles and escorted nature walks."

The guides on this tour are among the best we have ever come across, very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and humorous!

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"Our Living Desert Tour is a unique 4x4 adventure which specialises in bringing the desert to life while sharing the awesome beauty of the Namib Desert with travelers from all over the world. The coastal dune belt may seem barren and lifeless to many people, but in fact it is alive with a fascinating variety of little desert adapted animals, which are able to survive on the life-giving fog which consistently rolls in from the cold Atlantic Ocean."

South African National Parks (sanparks) https://www.sanparks.org/ is the body responsible for managing South Africa's national parks, and currently manages 21 parks, over 3% of the total area of South Africa. The self-drive options in the parks offer affordable safaris and game viewing, various accommodation such as cottages and camping, as well as activities such as guided walks and hiking, bird-watching, and 4x4 trails. The website is easy to use to book accommodation. One of the best-known parks is probably the Kruger Park, a good option for a first-time self-drive safari.

One of our favourite destinations is Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, bordering Namibia and Botswana. A 4x4 with high ground clearance and low range capabilities is preferable, especially to get to the more remote areas. There’s a range of accommodation and camping, operated by Sanparks, and the wilderness camps with simple chalets are unfenced. Unfenced campsites on the Botswana side offer an even more adventurous wilderness experience, with no ranger on duty and very often no other campers so here you have to be completely self-sufficient, and it can get really interesting! As a transfrontier park, the border between South Africa and Botswana is open. Unfortunately with the privatization of campsites by the Botswana National Parks (DWNP), there is now a convoluted booking procedure, too difficult to explain here, but this website explains more: https://blog.tracks4africa.co.za/how-to-book-campsites-in-botswana-national-parks/

I am a member the Dorset Mammal Group, and particularly support the stance that there is too little regard paid to animal rights whenever humans are inconvenienced

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"We are affiliated to the Mammal Society and take a lead from them in many aspects of mammal study. However, we have evolved a position with regard to animal ethics which is our own and perhaps unique among mammal study groups: we encourage the admiration of, and respect for, all mammals regardless of their traditional image in the eyes of some. This means that we stand opposed to recreational killing for example. While we do not campaign for animal rights, we think that there is too little regard paid to such rights whenever humans are inconvenienced and we aim to offer advice based on carefully considered ‘positions’ on various thorny issues.

Membership of the DMG is open to anyone who has an interest in the well-being of our fellow mammals and wishes to conserve and protect them. Our aims include the monitoring of populations, investigations into factors affecting their welfare, advice in helping humans live alongside them."

I am a trained volunteer Vaccinator helping Dorset Farmers, Cattle and Wildlife in the battle Against Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). The Dorset Badger Vaccination Project (DBVP) has been set up by local people who have been trained by the DEFRA-funded Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) in the trapping, vaccination and release of badgers.

"We work tirelessly to ensure that all wild animals, whether living in captivity or in the wild, are treated with compassion and respect and are able to live their lives according to their needs.

We oppose the exploitation of wild animals in captivity and campaign to keep wildlife in the wild.

We promote Compassionate Conservation to enhance the survival of threatened species in the wild and protect natural habitats while respecting the needs and safeguarding the welfare of individual animals.

We seek to have a positive impact on animals in the wild and protect their ecosystems in perpetuity, for their own intrinsic value and for the critical roles they play within the natural world."

Bushlore is a very reliable 4x4 rental company we have used several times. Offices in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

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"Many of Southern Africa's best game reserves, coastal areas and other attractions are only accessible by gravel roads and 4x4 (4wd) tracks, this is one of the reasons why a 4x4 vehicle is the ideal mode of transport and the most capable Safari vehicle. These all terrain 4x4 vehicles are all available as fully equipped and self contained campers. The extensive equipment provided like fridge - freezers, kitchen equipment and water tanks to mention a few, allows one to live out of the vehicles comfortably for extended periods."

If you do intend to self-drive in a remote area in Africa, I would recommend downloading a map from https://tracks4africa.co.za/ , the planning tool is indispensable and the smallest tracks are shown on the satnav. We used it extensively, and especially somewhere like Chobe and Moremi in Botswana where tracks can disappear underwater, it will help you find a way out. Their travel blog https://blog.tracks4africa.co.za/ is a fantastic resource, from travel tips to trip reports.

“Our Garmin compatible GPS maps are great for trip planning when used on your PC. You can set up planned routes and calculate how long it would take to reach a destination. Then browse the maps to see where you can sleep, fill up with fuel or buy stuff.”